As some of you may recall, Tommaso's family owns a restaurant in Montalcino called Osteria di Porta al Cassero. A classic Osteria, offering traditional food of the Tuscan area. One of their staple dishes is Pinci pasta. (Fun Fact: It's called "Pinci" only in Montalcino. The other parts of Tuscany call it "Pici.") Pinci is a thick, hand-rolled pasta- kind of like a fatter, irregular spaghetti. It originates from Val d'Orcia and dates back to the Etruscans. They were made from only flour and water, the poor everyday pasta of the Sienese peasants. Occasionally they'd add a small amount of egg (the "rich version"), reserved for Sundays and holidays. This recipe is for the rustic version, without eggs.
We hope that you will enjoy!
Carly & Tommaso
PICI FATTI A MANO
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
250 grams (2 cups) 00 Flour
150 grams (3/4 cups) Semolina Flour
Small pitcher of lukewarm water
Olive oil
Salt
Directions:
1) In the center of a large cutting board or work surface, make a large mound (or mountain) with the 00 Flour.
2) Hollow out a well in the middle and add the Semolina Flour.
3) Add a small amount of water to the well and use a fork and your hands to incorporate some flour from the walls of the well into the liquid in the middle and mix together.
4) As you work in more and more flour, the well's sides may collapse. But don't worry, use your hands and incorporate it back into the dough. It may look hopelessly messy, but don't worry. Just keep kneading.
5) Add a couple pinches of salt. And drizzle on some olive oil (~1 tablespoon).
6) Continue hollowing out a little well in the middle and adding small amounts of water, incorporating more flour into it and working the dough.
7) Keep repeating this process until the dough is well mixed and slightly sticky and elastic. ~5 minutes.
8) If it's too sticky, lightly dust the surface with some more flour. You want the dough to be elastic, and not too hard or over worked.
9) Once well mixed, roll into a ball and set aside to rest ~30 minutes.
10) Flatten the dough with your hands and a rolling pin until ~2 cm thick.
11) Using a knife, slice off a small strip and start to roll out the dough using your fingers and the palm of your hand into a long spaghetti-like shape.
12) Be very gentle, as the dough can easily rip when rolled or stretched too much.
13) Once it's the proper thin "pinci" size (about the size of a pencil, or a little thinner), set on a plate to the side. Sprinkle on some Semolina flour to keep from sticking together.
14) Keep repeating until all the dough has been used.
15) Once finished, you can either cook immediately or freeze to enjoy at a later time. (Note: if cooking after frozen immediately add to boiling water. Do not thaw first!)
16) Cooking time: should be no more than 2 minutes, or until the pinci floats to the surface. Taste test a pinci pasta to make sure its al dente before draining.
17) Top with your favorite sauce and buon appetito!
Our recommended sauce topping:
The perfect sauce for this is our Sugo di Nonna Bruna, Tuscan meat sauce, featured in our "Tuscany Shipment." This sugo is also served at Tommaso's family's restaurant.
Wine Pairing:
2016 Morellino di Scansano by Col di Bacche
Grapes: 90% Sangiovese & 10% Syrah, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon
